WORLD OBSERVATORY FOR WOMEN. TANZANIA
World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO) organized in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the second workshop organized by the World Observatory of Women (WWO).
The event that – took place from July 3 to 6, 2023, with the participation of 26 lay organizations, 27 congregations and 5 religious conferences from 22 countries – responded to the expectations of being a key meeting to empower women and initiate change positive. During this transformative event, the Observatory presented the initial results of its activities in Africa and shed light on existing best practices.
“The main problem for almost half of the African female population is being an invisible victim of violence and discrimination. What is even more worrying is that this occurs systematically and is extended to all social levels,” explained Mónica Santamarina, President General of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations and its Observatory. “In collaboration with the Hilton Foundation”, stressed the President, “we are carrying out a project aimed at reducing discrimination and violence against women in Africa, for a change of cultural and social paradigm”.
With this perspective, the Observatory focuses on promoting collaborative networks between religious congregations and civil society organizations, as well as carrying out training and capacity building activities for women.
Taught in both English and French, the workshop included training activities and hosted leading experts in various fields.
To date, the WWO listening initiative has had the direct participation of 10,680 women from Africa, who had the opportunity to share their experiences of discrimination and violence through a dedicated survey.
Their experiences on violence and discrimination against women have been shared by 110 ‘experts’, who work closely with diverse communities in 37 African countries, and have contributed to significant results in their institutions over the years. Among the 110 participating women, 59 are lay and 51 religious.
H. Florette Bassa, MCE, was one of the speakers, sharing good practices in informal education for African women, focusing on projects in DR Congo and Cameroon.
Ana Martiarena, coordinator of the project, sees the July event as an opportunity to extend her invitation to other organizations, institutions and individuals, encouraging them to contribute their knowledge, work methodologies and experiences to combat discrimination and violence in Africa.
0 Comments